When Pele came to Ayrshire to stun locals ahead of 1966 World Cup

The world is remembering one of the all-time football greats, if not the greatest.

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, forever known as Pelé has passed away aged 82, after losing his battle with cancer.

Legends of the game are queuing up to pay tribute to the three-time World Cup winner, whose silky play defined a generation in the yellow of Brazil.

Pelé graced the greatest sporting arenas in World Cup finals in front of thousands - leaving his mark on those who were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of him.

But his visit to one tiny Junior ground in Ayrshire left a huge impact on stunned locals as one of the greatest rocked up along with a Brazil side glittered with stars.

Troon FC, have remembered the day in 1966 that Pelé took to the field at the town's Portland Park.

The club have paid tribute to the greatest player to have stood on the Seasider's turf.

A touching announcement on the club's Twitter told how the club who play in the West of Scotland Football League, said they were "desperately saddened" to hear of the passing of the icon.

A club spokesperson added: "Arguably the greatest player to have ever played the game, and certainly the greatest to ever have graced Portland Park. Quite simply, a legend."

Pelé made his mark on the Ayrshire ground when he and the all-star Brazilian team rocked up as part of a pre-World Cup training camp which was spent in Troon.

Brazil, were preparing to head to England as they sought to defend their World Cup title.

The reigning World Champions spent time in Scotland before the tournament and even played a friendly at against the national side.

And they booked into Troon's Marine Hotel as they spent time in the South Ayrshire ahead of the 1-1 pre-season draw with Scotland at Hampden.

Bryan Weddell, who was photographed with Pele, told the Daily Record in 2014 about the visit: "I remember word getting round that they were staying at the Marine Hotel and going to Troon Juniors' ground at Portland Park for training.

"I went along with a crowd of friends and we hung about outside the park - and, sure enough, out came Pelé and the rest of the team.

"He was, of course, the most recognisable and I asked if he would sign my autograph book. He just said, 'sure'. He was very pleasant indeed."

The great man himself joked at the time that Portland Park was different to the iconic 80,000 seater Maracana.

Pele said: "Troon was certainly very different from the Maracana, that is for sure.

"The squad was staying at the Marine Hotel in the town and we needed somewhere to train.

"It was ideal for us. The dressing rooms might not have been the kind we were used to but the pitch was good.

"I remember it being summer but it was still quite cold.

"We had a good time on that trip though. The people all came out to see us and we had a very warm welcome.

"I had not been to Scotland in a very long time but I always remembered the enthusiastic welcome I received. The Scottish people are very friendly."

Pelé also graced the Rugby Park turf during his stay in Scotland as the club used the Kilmarnock ground for a training session.

The Scottish Premiership club said the visit of the icon will "always be treasured", as they shared an incredible picture of the great on the pitch at the historic ground.

Although Pelé's Brazil missed out on glory on the 1966 World Cup, he returned to seal a stunning third winners medal in the 1970 tournament.

In total the icon racked up 92 caps for Brazil and scored a record-setting 77 goals for the national team.

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